MOBILE — During the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, executive director Phil Savage brought in a receiver to workout as a candidate for the game.

Savage asked Alabama quarterback Jake Coker to do the throwing.

And as he did during stretches of his last season with the Crimson Tide, Coker made some jaw dropping throws during the sessions.

“He threw two deep comeback outs, and I stopped the workout, and I said ‘Jake, that’s the money ball,’” said Savage, the radio color analyst for Alabama football. “‘You make two throws like that back-to-back next week, someone’s going to give you a chance.’”

Savage said Coker is currently a “developmental” player because of his lack of experience. After spending three years at Florida State and only playing in mop-up duty, Coker transferred to Alabama to compete for a starting job. He lost out on the spot in his first season with the Crimson Tide, but this past season and helped the Tide to its fourth national championship in seven seasons.

Still, Coker has just 14 games of starting experience, making him raw in terms of live action.

“If he’ll flash that big arm and then flash the athletic ability — of course people know and recognize his toughness and resiliency — that to me there’s got to be one time out there that’s willing to work with him behind the scenes,” Savage said. “My point about being a developmental player is that you don’t hear that term used as much because it’s such a win now mentality in the league. Not every team out there is willing to wait a couple of years on someone, but I think he has some real traits to work with, absolutely.”

Coker is one of five Alabama players, and one of eight quarterbacks participating in the Senior Bowl.

But Coker’s 6-foot-5, 236-pound frame along with his cannon of an arm make him an intriguing prospect to NFL scouts and coaches.

CBSSports.com rates Coker as the eighth-best quarterback and projects him to be taken in the fourth or fifth round in the draft.

“I just wanna go out there and prove that I can play in this league and be a guy that can help a team out,” Coker said. “But at the same time, if I go out there and try to prove everything out it takes my mind off just having fun and playing. It’s more about just making every play I can.”

The championship season

Coker finished the year undefeated (14-0) as a starting quarterback. But his play down the stretch helped give Alabama more balance offensively.

After throwing at least one interception in six of the Tide’s first 10 games of the year, Coker didn’t throw the ball to the other team in the final five games while throwing nine touchdowns during that stretch.

Coker said he “took a little less risk” as the year went on.

For the season, Coker threw for 3,110 yards and 21 touchdowns to eight interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes.

“Jake did a great job for us all year long,” Tide coach Nick Saban said. “He improved, he never got frustrated and I think he won the team over in the Ole Miss game with the way he competed. Once that happened, he started to develop confidence and the team developed confidence in him. I think he did a really good job for us.”

Dane Brugler, senior NFL draft analyst for NFLDraftScout and CBSSports.com, said Coker’s growth throughout the season was clear.

“Early in the year this season, we saw him early in the year following the game plan design and kind of going along with what the coaches told him to do,” Brugler said. “But he really struggled to improvise and take over the offense. But as the season wore on, I think we saw Jake Coker take command of that offense. He started to be more than just a game manager, and he elevated the players around him.”

New found celebrity

Alabama players typically draw a big crowd for the Senior Bowl practices, and this year was no different.

But the majority of the fans were there to see Coker.

Coker was always going to be beloved in this area as he grew up in these parts and attended St. Paul’s High School.

But leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship pushed him into another stratosphere in terms of popularity among the Alabama fanbase.

“We love you, Jake,” one fan shouted after Tuesday’s practice.

“Jake’s my hero,” a young boy told his father.

All of the praise and adoration has been surreal for Coker.

“I think it’s pretty special to be able to take part in this,” Coker said. “It’s pretty awesome.”

After practice, Coker posed for photos, signed shirts and hats and gave high-fives and hugs to fans who showed up for practice.

Coker grew up going to Senior Bowl practices with his family. He dreamt of one day playing in the game. Now he’s one of the main attractions.

“It’s been crazy. These guys (Senior Bowl teammates) have been giving me all kinds of crap for being the last one on the bus because I’m hanging out with people and everything,” Coker said. “I really appreciate the support. I looked forward to coming back and playing in this game. The people have been awesome. I couldn’t be more appreciative of everyone for showing up like this.”

Coker’s pro potential

While stating that Coker is a player who’ll need time to develop, Savage said Coker’s lack of experience could turn out to be a positive with the right spin put on the message.

“I told him when we’ve talked a couple of times, ‘Jacob, you’ve got to realize that some of the quarterbacks you’re competing against, the clubs may look at them as three- to four-year starters without the upside or think they’re close to their potential,’” Savage said. “‘They may look at you like somebody that has a big upside, and that’s what you’ve got to sell yourself on.’ Like OK, I’ve got the size, the physique and the big arm.”

Brugler offered up some of the positives he sees when scouting and watching Coker’s film.

“The physical skills are there — size and the arm,” Brugler said. “He’s a well-built kid and a good athlete. He can move around. He’s not a statue back there. He can shake off some would-be tacklers. He has the body strength that you want. He’s a sneaky athlete. He avoids more tackles than you expect him to.”

Conversely, Brugler said Coker must prove he’s a draftable quarterback because of his sometimes up and down play.

“You watch him on film, his arm is inconsistent,” Brugler said. “He’ll make a great throw, but then he’ll miss an easy one. He’ll make a great decision, then he’ll make a head scratching decision.”

Some of the questions surrounding his game are cleaning up his footwork, making quicker decisions and shortening his release.

To correct some of those areas, Coker will work with his private quarterback coach David Morris. Morris has been Coker’s coach since Coker was a junior in high school as the two work together in Mobile.

He helped Coker prepare for the Senior Bowl, and will also help get him ready for the NFL combine and Alabama’s pro day.

“In my opinion, I think he’s a guy that’s just scratching the surface with his upside,” Morris said. “A lot of this stuff comes with game repetitions, and that’s one of the only things he lacks is that game experience. This year, you saw growth every week. That’s why a lot of people are excited about Jake because when you turn on the film, he got better every week. He still has some getting better to do, but I think he knows how to get better. I think he’s in a really good spot right now.”